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The Road to Success
Allegory as Art: A Historically Based Close Reading Background Very often we associate allegorical pieces with stories and novels, and most likely pieces of the last century. Animal Farm by George Orwell immediately comes to mind for some, The Chronicles of Narnia, or even Harry Potter are interpreted as modern allegories. This type of story, a simple rhetorical method of developing an idea, has existed as long as humans. It is present in the Bible's Old Testament, Medieval and Renaissance literature, and has continued into modern literature. The study of visual allegories, drawings, paintings and so on, is less diverse. The primary sources of allegorical paintings begin during Medieval times, and as expected, expands immensely during the Renaissance. A large portion of these pieces involve biblical themes. Allegories are commonly expressed through commonly understood characters and events, making the Bible one of the few options during this time period for greater public understanding. Pre-Modern Interpretations Jan Van Kessel the Elder, a painter during the 17th century from Flemings created this piece. Van Kessel had an interest in science and still life, this piece the "Allegory of Hearing." In essence, it conveys the idea that music can open both a window to the world and a way to connect with God, as seen by the open window into a vast plain and the painting in the upper left corner of angels. Music was beginning to very seriously develop during this period, as Northern Europe came into its own Renaissance after the South. Another piece from the seventeenth century is piece, Feast of Herod with the Beheading of John the Baptist, by Bartholomeus Strobel. As mentioned previously, the Bible was a common source to take for allegorical pieces at this time, as the stories of the Bible were considered common knowledge. This piece is a allergory of the 30 Years War (1618-1648), which was fought for religious reasons and virtual destroyed the area of Silesia, Strobel's home. The piece features many of the leaders of the time, Henry the IV of France is featured front and center standing behind the "Fruits of Victory" table, Gustavus Adolphus, who died in the conflict is featured in full knightly regalia. As a area affected greatly by the new religion, Protestantism, Silesia is personified in John the Baptist, who was beheaded for getting closer to God, and whose head is being brought to the table. Modern Interpretations In reference to INFO303, we discussed The Road To Success, a post-Victorian piece created by an unknown artist. Starting at the bottom of the image, the road to success starts with opportunity and quickly develops into many directions and pitfalls. There is an illiteracy pitfall. Some may just go straight to the mediocrity of bohemianism, some know it all may stay in at the bottom of the road for an extended period of time, in the hotel. The railroad, the Right System is a mode of transportation, or you can still move on around it, it will just take you much longer. Bad habits, bad reputation and other vices will spit you right back out to start all over again. Shortcuts will bring you into a stream of failure, and if you make it out of that you still have an uphill climb. There is a slippery slope of shiftlessness, carelessness and bad memory. If you make it past that, you can either take the tunnel of True Knowledge or climb a literal mountain due to your lack of preparation.The last major test lies in the two tunnels, Weak Morals and the Gate of Ideals. Weak morals can leave you careening toward the very beginning of the road, strong ideals can give you an easy road up to the final level of success. The piece strongly portrays the methods of true success, that is fought for and not handed right out. The success that is toiled for, that individuals spend years attempting to attain. The historical context of The Road To Success is also very interesting. The Victorian Period is marked with intense development, with the height of the Industrial Revolution. Men could either jump on the boat and make their money, being a part of this technological advancement and profit, or they could fall behind. This piece was made after the height of the Industrial Revolution in England, but this period continued into the twentieth century in the United State, arguably up until the Depression in 1929. Post Modern Interpretations In modern art, there is Verity, a statue made by artist Damien Hirst that has its home on the North coast of England. This piece is an almost 70 foot tall depiction of Justice, as a pregnant woman. You can see she stands on law books, holding a sword high above her head. The more unnerving part of the piece is that the entire left side of her body is opened up. Her muscles, bones and the fetus are all visible. The allegory is meant to convey the essential part justice plays in our lives, that it is so core to us, it is inside of us. Category:Another perspective